The Wizard of Oz

The Wizard of Oz

Original: 1925 Remake: 1939

The story, based on the 1899 book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, was adapted into Broadway plays and silent films long before Judy Garland donned the blue dress and those iconic red shoes. The most notable silent adaptation was released in 1925, but it was a box-office failure. Over a decade later, the film was given a modern, musical spin, using special effects and Technicolor. That version went on to become one of the most-watched movies of all time.

Chadwick Pictures Corporation; Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

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Scarface

Scarface

Original: 1932 Remake: 1983

Based on a 1929 novel of the same name, the classic mob film was first released in the 1930's and was loosely based on the life of mobster Al Capone. The idea to remake the movie came from Al Pacino, who went on to star in the 1983 version. After seeing it in a theater in Los Angeles, Pacino called producer Martin Bregman, and the rest is movie history.

The Wizard of Oz

Original: 1925 Remake: 1939

The story, based on the 1899 book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, was adapted into Broadway plays and silent films long before Judy Garland donned the blue dress and those iconic red shoes. The most notable silent adaptation was released in 1925, but it was a box-office failure. Over a decade later, the film was given a modern, musical spin, using special effects and Technicolor. That version went on to become one of the most-watched movies of all time.

Chadwick Pictures Corporation; Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

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Scarface

Original: 1932 Remake: 1983

Based on a 1929 novel of the same name, the classic mob film was first released in the 1930's and was loosely based on the life of mobster Al Capone. The idea to remake the movie came from Al Pacino, who went on to star in the 1983 version. After seeing it in a theater in Los Angeles, Pacino called producer Martin Bregman, and the rest is movie history.

Universal Artists; Universal Pictures

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The Man Who Knew Too Much

Original: 1934 Remake: 1956

The Alfred Hitchcock-directed 1930's thriller revolved around a family who found out about an assassination plot. The film was remade over two decades later, a decision made by Hitchcock himself. In an interview with film director Francois Truffaut, he explained his reasoning. "Let's say that the first version is the work of a talented amateur and the second was made by a professional."

Gaumont-British Picture Corporation; Universal Pictures

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The Ten Commandments

Original: 1923 Remake: 1956

Like Hitchcock, Cecil B. DeMille remade his own movie. The first version, a silent film, was created after he asked the public what his next project should be. While he had several successes since the 1923 biblical feature, he decided to return to it 33 years later. In his autobiography, he explained that for over 20 years he got letters from people all over the world, requesting that he give The Ten Commandments another go. "'The world needs a reminder,' they said, 'of the Law of God,'" he wrote.

Paramount Pictures

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My Fair Lady

Original: 1938 Remake: 1964

The Audrey Hepburn flick was based on a Broadway play of the same name, which debuted in March 1956. But that production was adapted from the 1938 film Pygmalion, which was based on the 1913 stage play. Jack L. Warner, co-founder of Warner Bros. Studios, decided to produce My Fair Lady himself after seeing Pygmalion on Broadway in 1956. He loved it so much, he spent millions to secure the rights to it, which then belonged to CBS.

MGM; Warner Bros.

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Mary Poppins

Original: 1949 Remake: 1964

It's hard to believe Julie Andrews didn't originate this role. Mary Poppins was the brainchild of P.L. Travers, who wrote eight kids' books based on the character. Notoriously protective of Poppins, Travers rejected almost every studio that wanted to bring the nanny to life. The most persistent: Walt Disney, who began fighting for rights in 1938. He didn't succeed until 1961, but he had to give her full script approval rights. During their decades' long back-and-forth (which was the focus of the 2013 film, Saving Mr. Banks), Travers approved a live TV play version of Mary Poppins, which aired on CBS in 1949 and starred Mary Wickes, a.k.a. Sister Mary Lazarus of the Sister Act films.

Buena Vista Distribution

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The Maltese Falcon

Original: 1931 Remake: 1941

Considered one of the greatest movies of all time, its success initially came as a surprise. By the time it was released, two versions of the film already had been produced, and both were failures. That challenge is exactly what inspired first-time director John Huston, who worked on several scripts for Warner Bros. before sitting at the director's chair. "The previous screenplays had been products of writers who sought to put their own stamp on the story," he wrote in his autobiography. Huston wanted the third time to be a charm, and it certainly was.

Warner Bros.

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The Sound of Music

Original: 1956 Remake: 1965

Before Julie Andrews did the unforgettable spin in the grass, The Sound of Music started off as a memoir written by the real Maria Von Trapp. Her story inspired The Trapp Family, which was released in the 1950's in Germany. The idea to turn the film into a larger feature came from film executive, Richard Zanuck. His father, Darryl, was brought in to take partial control over Fox Studios, which was on the verge of bankruptcy. Richard was put in charge of finding a blockbuster in the studio's script library. That's when he stumbled upon The Sound of Music. The studio paid $1.25 million for the film rights back in 1960, equal to almost $10 million nowadays.

Gloria; 20th Century Fox

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Robin Hood

Original: 1956 Remake: 1965

The remake of Robin Hood largely stemmed from Warner Bros. Studios wanting to break out of their typical genres. In the 30's, the studio wasn't known for big productions. Instead, they made "fast-paced crime dramas, street-smart New York musicals and hard-edged social-problem dramas," as mentioned in a Turner Classic Movie profile. They wanted to master the big, blockbuster films as well and saw The Adventures of Robin Hood as the perfect opportunity to do so.